The Fallout
by Only Sa-kun
Summary: When there's someone we really care for, we wait for them. No matter how many times we're disappointed, we give them another chance. We call, leave messages, reach out to them. We all do it. But why do we do it? Mild Cloti, rated teen for mild language.
1. Chapter 1

The Fallout – Chapter 1

This is my first actual fanfic, so bear with me. I also make AMV's with stories. Find me at /user/Sannex7.

There was complete silence in the house as she sat on the bed. She stared down at her fingers. She heard faint movement in the hallway, and the next moment, her door opened.

"Tifa?"

There stood Marlene, her eyes half-shut. Tifa looked up and quickly exchanged her look of concern for a smile.

"What is it, sweetie?"

Marlene didn't answer. Her large, brown eyes darted from the made bed to Tifa's face.

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I can't sleep," Tifa said. The lies came easier every day.

"Then why are you in Cloud's room?"

Tifa's face froze. She didn't have an answer for that. At least, not an answer appropriate for Marlene.

"Why are you out of bed, Marlene?" Tifa asked calmly.

"I'm thirsty," she complained.

Tifa went downstairs with Marlene and fetched a glass of water. After that and a kiss on the head, Marlene fell into a deep sleep. Deep enough for tonight to have been pushed out of her mind.

Tifa stood in the hallway, staring into Cloud's room. She didn't want to go back and sit on his dusty bed. But she didn't want to go to bed either. Just in case. She had been repeating this for the past month. She was exhausted and fell asleep while teaching the kids sometimes. They didn't talk about Cloud. Nobody offered to, so the subject remained untouched.

Tifa suddenly turned around and walked down the stairs and to the front door. She unlocked it and opened it, hasting outside. She took the key out of her pocket, looked around her briefly. She quickly stuffed it under the flowerpot that stood there. The flowerpot with _her_ flowers. They were dying. Tifa had casually suggested to do something about it, but Cloud refused to throw them out. After a few attempts, Tifa decided it was best left alone.

"_You have reached the voicemail of…_"

Tifa's heart thumped against her ribcage, even though this was a daily event.

"Hey, it's me. I left the key under her flowers… just in case, you know, you want to come home. Wherever you are… please come home soon. We miss you. I… I miss-"

The merciless beep ended her voicemail message.

Swearing internally, she hung up and closed her cell phone. She just noticed the sky was unusually dark tonight. She looked up to locate the moon and saw only a small sliver.

Shivering, and not because of the cold, Tifa turned around and bolted the door behind her.

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – The Fallout

**_Notes: Sex was NOT implied in the previous chapter. I MEANT glares at Kannachi that Tifa didn't want Marlene to know how weak she was waiting for Cloud every night. Durrr :P Mah mind isn't that dirty, thank you very much._**

Ahead of her stood a figure.

"Eh?" Tifa said blankly, her voice echoing. Everything was pitch-black. Everything but this person ahead of her.

"Cloud?" Tifa called. The figure turned around and started to walk away. "Cloud! Wait! CLOUD!" Tifa ran after him, seizing his arms. Cloud slowly turned around, his blond hair in the huge spikes she remembered… but he had no face.

Tifa woke up with a chill going down her spine. She stood up out of the bed and practically ran downstairs. She opened drawers and searched through them frantically. It wasn't there. Where could it be?

"Tifa?" Denzel's voice made her jump.

"Denzel!" Tifa gasped. "Don't scare me like that!"

Denzel was turning into Cloud and he didn't even know it.

"Sorry," Denzel said.

"Denzel, have you seen the picture?"

Denzel just stared at her, then slowly shook his head as he turned towards the kitchen.

"Denzel?"

"I haven't," Denzel said. "Why would you want it anyway?"

"I…" Tifa remained silent. She shouldn't want it. But now that she couldn't have it, she wanted it more than anything.

"Are you hungry?" Tifa asked Denzel.

"Well, yeah," Denzel said as he closed the refrigerator.

"Can you get Marlene, honey?" Tifa asked as she closed the drawer and walked into the kitchen.

All the while throughout breakfast, she tried to picture Cloud's face, and she couldn't. She rubbed her temples. She was getting a headache of this.

"Let's go somewhere," Tifa declared, surprising the kids and herself. Denzel swallowed what he had in his mouth.

"Why?" he asked.

"Well…" Tifa paused. "Why not?"

"How would we get where we're going?" Denzel asked. Again Tifa paused.

"We can take the subway. It's not that expensive." Tifa tried to sound cheery.

Both Marlene and Denzel looked at her strangely. She regretted bringing them out of their shell already.

"Maybe another day," she hastened herself to say. Relief flooded through their expressions and all was soon forgotten again. Tifa vaguely wondered how children could be so resilient.

**_Please review! - Thanks  
_**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The phone was ringing.

No. Not the phone. His phone. The one in his office.

Denzel and Marlene, who had been watching a TV-show with Tifa, both turned towards her, who sat on the couch. She ignored the ringing and turned the volume up. The ringing continued. Tifa stood up.

"I'll be right back," she said and she started up the stairs. Which each step she took, she found herself grow angrier and angrier. She and the kids didn't deserve this. It was time to move on.

She kicked his door open, the door that always stayed shut now. It clanged noisily against the wall. She gripped the dusty phone, the phone she had bought for him, once such a joy, now such a burden. With a loud yell, she smote it across the room. It hit the wall and bounced off, the receiver now alone. Reno's familiar voice came through.

"'ello?"

Tifa jerked the plug out of the wall, together with the phone line, and stomped her foot on the receiver. She ground her heel angrily upon it, feeling a strange satisfaction in the plastic snapping and splintering. When she brought her foot back, all that was left was a bunch of electric wires and broken white plastic. It felt good. It felt great. It was just what she needed.

"Denzel!" Tifa called as she strode around the office. "Could you get me a large box?"

Several minutes later, Denzel came with a box.

"Thank you," Tifa said.

"What are you doing?" Denzel asked.

"Cleaning up," Tifa said cheerfully. "It's time."

Denzel looked at her rather strangely.

"Do you need help?"

He didn't want to help. He wanted to help Tifa, but he didn't want to help her destroy the last evidence of the man he had adored.

"Naah," she said. "I'll be fine. You go ahead."

Denzel left rather hurriedly. Tifa took a good look at his stuff. There was his bed, dusty besides for the spot where Tifa's butt had been several hours earlier. Tifa snorted, and stripped down the linens. She didn't allow herself to smell them. She simply tossed them on the dusty floorboards. His room was a mess. A vague connection was made. He had always been a slob, hadn't he? Tifa gathered some stray clothes and tossed them in a separate pile. She gathered up all the papers in one sweep. She put them in a pile for recycling. The computer she put in the box. Empty cans were tossed in the garbage can. The bed, she took apart. The curtains, she ripped down. They were ugly, anyway. She didn't stop until she arrived at the wall. The fateful wall that brought back many memories.

On the wall were many pictures, taped sloppily and diagonally as if without much care. But Tifa knew that if he hadn't cared, he wouldn't have bothered in the first place.

There were old pictures. Before he left Nibelheim. A few with his mother. A few with Tifa. While in SOLDIER. A few with a familiar face. Tifa felt the sting of regret. There he was, next to Zack Fair. The kind soul she had hated while he hadn't been at fault. Zack was now dead. If he had lived, and _she_ had lived, the four of them would have been the best of friends. They would have probably lived here, too. He would have been happy. Maybe he would even smile every once in a while. He would have most definitely still been here, with Tifa and Denzel and Marlene. Then there were some of him with_ her_. Tifa smiled sadly to herself. The flowergirl. He looked happy. Well, not happy. But at least not sad. Like now. And last, there were a few of the four of them. There was a drastic change in him.

Tifa gently started to peel away the tape, one by one. She put them all in a stack and continued this slow process. Her anger had ebbed away, replaced by calm understanding. She took a shoebox and placed them in there, then pushed it under her bed. She then noticed it was dinnertime.

She came downstairs very quickly.

"Guys, I'm so--" She came to a halt.

There stood thirteen-year-old Denzel, scooping food on a plate for nine-year-old Marlene. The food was a little burnt, but both Marlene and Denzel seemed very happy. They chatted animatedly. Denzel was explaining what to do if you came across a certain monster (which Denzel had most definitely learnt from him) and Marlene gasped in the appropriate places when Denzel described his horrifying appearance. Tifa felt her heart warm with joy.

"Oh, Tifa," Denzel said. "Uhm… would you like some dinner?"

Tifa started crying and she took Marlene and Denzel in an embrace. They looked a little surprised, but they understood and hugged her silently in response. When Tifa's hormones stopped raging, she released them and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

"Yes, Denzel." She smiled and suppressed a sob. "I'd love some."

That night, as they chatted, ignoring the empty fourth chair across from them, Tifa did not call his cell phone.

**_Don't make me feel unloved!! Review review!_**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next morning, Tifa had forgotten his face again. His name she vaguely remembered, but she didn't really care.

She entered his room and took off the mattress. She started to break down his bed.

"Marlene! Denzel!" she called. "I need your help."

They came. Denzel had a different look on his face today. He didn't want to clean his old room, but he wanted to help Tifa more. He had had a taste of Tifa's joy yesterday, and he was thirsty for more.

"Denzel, if you would help me carry the mattress… and Marlene, if you could open the doors for us and tell us when a step is coming…"

They both looked very focused and concentrated, like they had a very important task.

Marlene ran ahead and fetched the door, Tifa picked up her end and Denzel his.

"Where are we putting it, Tifa?" Denzel asked her.

"We'll put it outside," Tifa said. "I'll see if anyone wants it."

Sure enough, about ten minutes later, his mattress was gone, and Tifa had some more money in her pocket.

"Tifa, what are we going to do with his room?" Denzel asked.

"I think it's time for you to get your own room."

Denzel's eyes widened.

"B-but Marlene…"

"I know, Denzel." She put her hands on Denzel's shoulders. "But you two are growing up. You're thirteen now. In a few years, Marlene will be a teenager too."

Denzel nodded slowly in understanding.

"Yeah… you're right, Tifa."

"You wanna help me move your bed?"

Denzel's grin returned. "Yeah!"

Tifa ruffled his hair. He laughed and attempted to dodge her. He then turned around and ran up the stairs. "Marlene! Guess what!"

In a way, Tifa felt excluded. But it was a happy kind of excluded. Tifa didn't mind the way she used to. She remembered back when he was still here. They were the parents. Marlene and Denzel were the kids. But then, Tifa slowly realized that only she had been the parent, and she had always been excluded.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Denzel's room was complete.

The walls were no longer that smudged gray that was dirty from his abuse and forgetting to clean. They were light yellow. Denzel had wanted black, but once Tifa had explained that there would be no sunlight in the room, they had all agreed their house and bar was going to be a place of sunshine. Denzel had already taped a few drawings Marlene had made for them. They were crude, but in the eyes of Tifa and Denzel, they were beautiful. Tifa had spent some of their savings to get Denzel an encyclopedia on monsters, something he had been wanting for a long time. Tifa listened with pleasure as she cooked to Denzel showing Marlene everything he knew.

During dinner, Marlene spoke up.

"Tifa?" she said. "Can we go to the church?"

Tifa looked up from her food.

"Uhm… sure," Tifa said, surprised by Marlene's sudden interest in religion. Tifa wasn't really religious, but she prayed occasionally, mostly because of him. And she. She had left an impression on Tifa. "There should be something on Sunday. Do you guys have some nice clothes or do I need to buy some?"

"No, I mean… can we go to Aerith's church?"

Tifa blinked and swallowed hard.

"Why would you want to go there?" Tifa asked, her voice a little too harsh.

"I want to get some more flowers," Marlene said softly. Tifa silently cursed herself.

"Oh, sweetie. I'm sorry." She reached over and patted Marlene's hand. "Of course we can go. We'll go tomorrow, mmkay?"

"Can't we go tonight?" Marlene said. "We were going to make a cake tomorrow, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Denzel recalled.

Tifa swallowed again. Her face was pale. Her hands were clammy. She didn't want to go. What if he was there? That would mean that he had been living in the past this whole month, preferring Aerith over Tifa. Tifa wasn't so sure if she wanted to know the truth.

"Okay," she heard herself say. "We can go tonight."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The doors were banging in the harsh wind. Tifa, Denzel and Marlene hadn't been there since the day he had fought Sephiroth and returned from the dead. He and Marlene had taken some flowers with to plant in a pot for at home. Tifa remembered how happy she was then.

The water was still there. It must be magic.

Tifa quickly looked around. There were no footsteps. No campsite. It seemed as if he hadn't been here since that day either. Tifa breathed a sigh of relief.

"I don't see any flowers," Marlene pouted. She started to scurry around the church, Denzel right behind her. Tifa stepped forwards and peered into the water. There were Aerith's flowers, perfectly preserved because of her miracle water. Without thinking, Tifa stepped in the water.

"Tifa?!" Marlene and Denzel cried and ran to her side. Tifa took a deep breath and went underwater.

The surface seemed to have disappeared. There were the flowers. Tifa hunched down and gently started to exfoliate some. The roots were deep.

When she surfaced, she was victorious. Holding the flowers in one hand and helping herself out with the other, Marlene's smile warmed her heart. She found it chilly, and her teeth were chattering.

"Let's go back, hmm?" Tifa said to them. As she looked up, she saw a figure in the distance. But when she blinked, he was gone.

Jumping in the water had been a mistake, but it had its good things. Tifa caught a cold, and for the next two days, she allowed Denzel to cook and Marlene make her potions that would have sickened her even further if she actually drank them instead of throwing them down the drain when Marlene thought she was peeing. It made Tifa feel a little guilty, because she knew he would have drank them after a few minutes of pleading from Marlene. But then again, she told herself, she wasn't the one with Mako injected in her.

**_Sorry for the short chapters!! I think my font in Word is too big xD Review review!! :3  
_**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Tifa's phone was ringing. She picked it up. "Yuffie" read the display. It was safe to answer.

"Hello?"

"TIFA!" Yuffie screamed.

"Ow!" Tifa winced and pulled the phone away from her ear. "Yuffie! Must you always screech like that?!"

"Sooooo-wyyyyy," she whined.

"What do you want?"

"Well, we've got a slight problem." In the background, Tifa could hear make out Barret, Cid, Cait Sith, and Red XIII. She couldn't hear Vincent, but he must be there.

"Problem my ass," Tifa said, trying very hard to make herself sound unamused. "You guys just wanna have a party, don't you?"

"She caught me," Yuffie whined to them. "Ow! That's my foot! Watch it!"

"I told you someone else should have called." Vincent seemed really close. Tifa imagined that they were all cramped in the front of Barret's truck.

"Okay," Tifa laughed. "Well, it's not like we're doing anything. I hope you all brought sleeping bags. To sleep on the floor, that is."

"She's gonna make us sleep on the floor!" Yuffie sounded horrified.

Tifa could hear Barret's booming laugh.

"We're almost there!"Yuffie commented.

"So I need to put my house in a bubble. Got it."

Tifa laughed as Yuffie spluttered denial and hung up. She walked to the base of the stairs.

"Denzel! Marlene!" she called. "Guess what!"

They came downstairs quickly.

"What?" they asked.

"Our friends are coming over." She started to clean the house up a bit. Not that it would help much. "So you guys can stay up late tonight. Can you two put the breakables away? Yuffie's coming."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

About ten minutes later, they all arrived. Barret, Cid, Cait Sith, Red XIII, Yuffie, and even Vincent. Tifa expected they had dragged him along, for he stood behind the bar the entire time. Marlene was ecstatic at Barret being there.

Tifa went to refill glasses when Vincent spoke to her.

"Has he been here at all?"

"Huh?" Tifa looked at him. "Who?"

"Cloud." Vincent's red eyes seemed to be piercing right through her. Tifa expected it to be equivalent to a slap in the face, but instead, it felt like he had simply poked her arm.

"Nope," Tifa said cheerfully. "Not at all."She smiled and handed him his now refilled glass. Vincent accepted it, looking at her strangely.

Barret was playing with Marlene and Denzel. Despite his size and loud voice, he was excellent with the kids. Denzel seemed to like the change. Tifa knew that Denzel loved her, but he was still in need of a father.

"I didn't bring a sleeping bag," Yuffie fessed up.

"It's fine." Tifa looked throughout the room. "I think I have a few somewhere."

There was a knock on the door.

"Somebody comin' to join the party?" said Cid.

"More people?!" Yuffie screeched. "Yay!"

"That still doesn't mean any wine for you, Yuffie," laughed Tifa. Yuffie whined complaints as Tifa added, "I'll be right back."

Smiling, Tifa walked towards the door and unbolted it. Swinging it open, she found herself realizing she was finally happy again. Truly happy.

"MARLENE!" she yelled. "Don't burn the cookies! Get them out of the oven! Barret, can you--?"Barret gave a little wave and a booming laugh, then turned to the oven to help Marlene. She turned towards the opening.

"Sorry about --"Tifa found herself stop mid-sentence. In front of her stood someone familiar. Someone she hadn't thought about for a long time. But that hair… it was… His face and voice… memories about him… everything came back now.

"Tifa," Cloud gasped as he clutched the doorpost.

"Cl…" Tifa said softly. Her mouth was dry. She couldn't seem to find the words. So she let her emotions take over.

Tifa slammed the door in his face.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

All heads turned her way. Silence fell.

"Tifa!" cried Cloud, his voice muffled because of the door. "Tifa, I need your help…"

"…Cloud?" Marlene said softly.

"No, honey, it's not--"Tifa began.

"Tifa!" Cloud yelled again. "Tifa, please…"

Everyone was staring at her. She had to open the door. But she would be angry. She would be so angry, she would explode into a million pieces. Since when had she become so angry? Tifa was squeezing the doorknob so hard she was afraid it would become a useless, metal lump. She was glad for now that it was the doorknob she was squeezing and not Cloud's neck.

"What?" Tifa snapped as she opened the door to a crack. She knew everyone inside was listening. Fenrir was standing a few feet away. Why did this seem so normal to Tifa?

Cloud's face seemed pained. "I can explain."

"Oh really?" Tifa snarled, then softening her voice into a hiss. "You can explain why you left us for no reason without warning, without a call, without a letter, and never came back? It's been over a month now! You've done this before, you said you'd never do it again! Where the hell have you been? In Aerith's church, reliving old memories? Why don't you ask her for help?!" It was cruel, but Tifa didn't care right now. Right now, she was bloodthirsty. She wanted to hurt Cloud every way possible. Payback time. He would get just what he deserved.

"I can explain," Cloud struggled to say, "but not here."

"Oh. I see." Tifa turned around and started to close the door.

"No, Tifa! I need your help." Cloud winced with every word as he dug his fingers into his stomach. Tifa could see all eyes to the front door, listening and watching.

"You didn't need it two months ago," Tifa said coldly and was about close the door again when she heard him gasp. She turned around.

Cloud fell on his knees, shaking all over. Then Tifa noticed he had been stopping blood from coming out of a rather large wound in his stomach.

"Cloud!" Tifa cried as she seized his shoulders. Cloud just gasped in response. "Someone help me!" Tifa cried. "Cloud, Cloud, hang in there!"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Barret carried Cloud upstairs, the whole gang trailing behind.

"Where should I put him?" he asked gruffly.

"Put him in my room," Tifa sighed as she rubbed her hands over her temple. Barret walked into Tifa's room.

"Somebody get that sword offa him," he said. Tifa hurried forwards and started to take everything off, one by one. She had watched him take off his gear a thousand times before.

Barret put Cloud on the bed. His face was unnaturally pale and clammy. He was getting blood on the sheets, Tifa couldn't help but noticing.

"Let's give 'im some privacy," Cid said.

"What?" Yuffie cried. "But I wanna know what's wrong!"

"You'll find out later," Vincent said. "Cloud wouldn't like everyone hovering over him while he just collapsed."

Yuffie didn't protest anymore, and everyone headed downstairs, leaving Tifa to take care of Cloud. Barret took Marlene and Denzel with him and tried to cheer them up.

Tifa sighed.

"Where have you been?" she asked Cloud softly as she swept some hair off of his sweaty forehead. She looked at his wound. It seemed as if he had been stabbed. If it hadn't been for the Mako in him, he would have been dead. Tifa took a knife and cut open his sweater vest. A lesser prude would have taken off his shirt, but that idea made Tifa somehow feel embarrassed. Tifa cleaned his wound. She put some medicine on the wound, then bandaged it. She took a wet cloth and gently patted his sweaty face. Then she left him alone, closing the door behind her. She would save her anger for later. It had somehow disappeared.

"Coast is clear, guys," Tifa said. "He's gonna be fine."

Her friends cheered in response, but they weren't her friends anymore. They were their friends.

Yuffie of course wanted to see him, but once she had realized she couldn't pick on him while unconscious, they started to leave instead of spend the night as was planned. The mood had disappeared. Nothing was left.

"Get ready for bed, guys," Tifa said tiredly to the kids.

"Tifa, where are you going to sleep?" Marlene asked.

"On the couch, I guess." If she could get any sleep at all.

"No, Tifa!" Denzel said. "You can sleep in my room. I'll sleep on the couch." Tifa was going to protest, but she stopped herself. That's what Cloud would've done. He would have let Tifa sleep in the bed, and he would sleep wherever he could. Tifa understood that Denzel was letting her know that he was there for her.

"Thank you very much, Denzel." Tifa tried a smile. It turned out painful. "That's very considerate of you."

"Tifa, Tifa, you can sleep in my room!" Marlene said excitedly.

"That's not how it works, Marlene," Denzel said. "Tifa's a woman. I'm a gentleman." Normally, Tifa would have laughed and ruffled his hair. But she didn't trust herself yet enough to laugh out loud.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

After she had made sure both kids were comfortable and Cloud still fine, Tifa went into Denzel's room and sat on his bed. She slowly lay down and curled up into a ball. Then, she started crying. She hated herself for hating Cloud, but she couldn't stop the anger, she couldn't stop the venom that was trying to kill whatever they had, and whatever they didn't have as well.

"Tifa."

Tifa gasped and sat up straight when she felt his hand on her shoulder. Cloud stood there, right in front of her, his face pale and obviously in pain.

"You should be in bed," Tifa said as she hastily wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. She cleared her throat a bit.

"Tifa, I'm sorry."

"Are you now?" Tifa heard herself laugh, it was cold and what he said wasn't really funny.

"I can explain," he said again. "I had a reason to leave."

"But you had two reasons to stay." Tifa glared at him. Cloud looked a little confused.

"What?" he said blankly.

"He's thirteen and she's nine and you knew they adored you!" Tifa yelled as she slammed her fist down on the bed. She felt the tears streaming down her face again. She gripped the sheets in her fists and tried to tear them. She could feel her nails through the cloth on the palm of her hand. "How the hell did you expect for me to tell them you changed your mind?!"

Cloud looked shell-shocked. This wasn't in his comfort zone. Well, too damn bad.

"I…" he said. Tifa knew she was reversing every single thing she had done to make him feel more self-confident. But she was pissed, and she didn't care.

"Get out," she said softly.

"Wha…?" he stammered.

"GET OUT!" she screamed. She had most certainly woken up the kids, if they weren't already. Cloud turned around and practically fled from the room that had once been his own. Tifa jumped up and slammed the door behind him. She fell down on the bed and cried herself to sleep.

The next morning, Tifa woke up early to make the kids breakfast. They had most definitely heard their argument last night. No, not an argument. An ambush.

When she placed pancakes, their favorite food, on the table, they still looked worried. She smiled at them and kissed each of them on top of the head. That seemed to make it better, as they both started eating then.

Tifa put some pancakes on a plate, bathed them in syrup, and started up the stairs. She didn't bother to knock on the door. She practically slammed the plate in Cloud's lap and stuffed the utensils in his hand.

While she made her escape, Cloud spoke.

"You remembered."

"Remembered what?" Tifa cursed her curiosity in silence.

"That I love syrup."

Tifa was silent for a while before she looked at his face. They looked pitifully hopeful. As if she'd forgive him overnight like she had done so many times before.

"Of course, Cloud," she said softly. "How could I ever forget that?" Then she slammed the door behind her.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"How long is Cloud going to stay here?" Denzel asked.

"Until he's healed," Tifa said. "Then I'm going to kick his ass out." She said it jokingly, but Denzel seemed to catch the dark undertone in it. "Pretend I didn't say that."

"What? That you're going to kick him out or 'ass'?"

Tifa winced. "Both. You're not supposed to be cussing, young man."

Denzel laughed as they both remembered when Tifa had been knocked out by Bahamut SIN while shielding Denzel.

Tifa ruffled his hair, then resumed cleaning.

This routine repeated for two days, until Cloud could walk again. Tifa was glad he was a fast healer. He would be out of here in no time. Cloud seemed to follow wherever Tifa went, who was avoiding him. He was being better than ever (Tifa felt the strange urge to say "Good dog" whenever he did something nice). He would start conversations with Marlene and endure her little-girl talk and take Denzel with him to work on Fenrir. One night, he decided to join them with dinner.

"Smells good," he told Tifa. She nodded curtly, and swept her hair over her right shoulder, so that her right side towards him was covered by hair instead of left. She set the food on the table and purposely only set the table for three. Cloud looked at the table, then walked into the kitchen and grabbed a plate for himself.

"Tifa, could you get me a fork and knife?" Tifa pretended she didn't hear him and walked on with only utensils for her, Denzel and Marlene.

"Mm? What was that?"

"…Never mind."

They all sat down.

"Enjoy, Denzel. Enjoy, Marlene." Tifa started eating.

"Enjoy Marlene, Tifa, Cloud," Denzel murmured.

"Enjoy Cloud, Denzel, Tifa," Marlene muttered.

"What?" Cloud said blankly.

"We do that before every meal," Denzel said. "Because Tifa said we never know which meal will be our last with each other."

"Yeah." Tifa stabbed her meat a bit harder than she should have. "I learned that lesson well from experience, hmm?"

"…I guess so." Cloud started eating. Tifa hated the way how noisily she, Denzel and Marlene ate their vegetables, while Cloud chewed so softly and noiselessly. She should have made soup. Maybe he was a slurper. Then she could have loudly cleared her throat. No, she couldn't have. She was a slurper herself.

"… salt?"

Cloud was looking at her expectantly, like he had just asked her a question.

"What?!" she snapped.

"Tifa, could you pass the salt?"

His eyes were really, really blue.

Tifa pushed the saltshaker with her index finger only so far that Cloud could barely reach it by himself.

"Thank you." He set the salt back down, unused. The little --

"Why don't we go somewhere tomorrow?" Cloud asked them.

"Somewhere as in away?" Denzel asked uncertainly.

"Yeah." Cloud nodded. "Why don't we go to town?" Tifa stopped chewing. "You two might need some new clothes before you go back to school." Not fair. Cloud_ knew_ she loved going to town and buying stuff for the kids.

"We don't have the money," Denzel said nervously.

"Yeah, we do." Cloud frowned. "I did a bunch of odd jobs while I was gone. I didn't really buy all that much." Tifa's anger flared. So he thought he was going to stay, did he?

"Denzel can't sleep on the couch forever," she said as politely as she could. Cloud nodded.

"Yeah. You can have your room back, Tifa. I'll sleep on the couch."

Not good.  
"The couch isn't comfortable," Tifa hinted.

"Neither is the floor of Aerith's church," Cloud said.

Ouch! That one hurt.

Tifa slammed down her fork so hard it probably left a dent in the table.

"Tifa?" Marlene said. Cloud was glaring at her. He had tried to be nice, but apparently he had had enough. Tifa forced a smile and swept away everyone's plates even though they weren't finished.

I can't hold this out forever, Tifa thought. She was going to explode sooner or later. Cloud was going to confront her sooner or later.

She didn't know which was worse.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Tifa," Marlene asked later in the evening when Denzel and Cloud were working on Fenrir, "what's wrong between you and Cloud?"

_I'm angry at him._

_I can't stand his ignorance._

_I'm pissed at how he can't see how much I care about him._

_I can't stand how much I need him._

Instead, Tifa answered,

"Nothing, honey."

"Then why are you acting like this to him?"

"Like what?"

Marlene cocked her head thoughtfully.

"I don't know. You were a lot nicer to him, I thought. You'd wash his clothes. You'd cook his favorite meals. You'd laugh at him. I don't know. You seemed happier."

_Because I was._

"I'm just not sure if I can forgive Cloud yet for leaving us."

"Why did he leave us?"

"I don't know," Tifa answered.

_Because I never let him tell me._

"Why don't you ask him?"

"Why are you suddenly asking all these questions?"

"I'm just wondering."

Uh-oh. It was always dangerous when Marlene started wondering.

"What were you wondering, honey?"

"Why you two aren't married."

Tifa mentally did a headdesk.

"Sweetheart, marriage is for people who love each other." Marlene looked at Tifa shocked. "I mean, for people who are in love with each other."

"What's the difference?"

Tifa sighed. Marlene was growing old indeed.

"You know on TV, when you see people kiss? That's for people who are in love."

"Oh." Marlene didn't look like she got it. "Okay."

Just then, Cloud came inside with Denzel. Denzel was getting tall, Tifa noticed. He now only seemed about a foot shorter than Cloud, who was five feet and seven inches. Tifa snorted rudely. Cloud was so short.

"What?" Cloud asked.

"Nothing," Tifa laughed.

"What?!" Cloud demanded.

"I just realized you're only two inches taller than me," Tifa laughed harshly. It was meant as a stab to his pride, but it didn't really work out that way. Tifa honestly found it funny.

"Not true!" Cloud exclaimed. "You're five four. I'm five eight."

"You're five seven and I'm five five, thank you very much!"

Cloud grunted, but Tifa could swear she saw the corner of his lip lift the slightest bit. She laughed again and continued drying the glass plate she was holding.

Marlene ran over to Cloud and pulled on his shirt.

"Cloud! Cloud!" she said in a hushed voice. "You don't have to worry anymore! Tifa still loves you!"

Tifa dropped the plate she was holding. It shattered on the floor into a million pieces.

"Dammit!" Tifa gasped.

Cloud's face was red, his mouth in a tight line.

"I'll get that." He quickly bent down and started to pick up all the pieces.

Tifa remembered she was supposed to be angry. Why had Marlene said that? Had Cloud wanted to know that? Denzel's eyes flickered from Tifa to Marlene to Cloud.

"Tifa, you're bleeding." Cloud grabbed her hand before she could pull away. He wasn't wearing his gloves for once. His fingers were nasty because he had been working on Fenrir. They were callused and very harsh. But Tifa liked the way they felt on her skin.

She was supposed to be mad. But she couldn't. Not when he was trying so hard.

"Ow," Tifa gasped. She looked at her hand. There was a long, deep cut from her wrist to the beginning of her middle finger.

"There's some glass in here." Cloud looked very concentrated. "You might wanna sit down."

He led her to the couch, Marlene and Denzel right behind them. He washed his hands before returning to Tifa's side.

Tifa winced and gasped every time Cloud dug his nails into her wound to retrieve out tiny splinters of bloody glass, which he cast into a cup Denzel was holding.

"Almost done, Teef."

When he had gotten all of the glass out, he murmured a few words under his breath and her wound healed almost instantly. It was still a bit red, but it didn't hurt as much.

"Thanks, Cloud."

Cloud nodded. He released her hand and stood up, stretching slightly.

"So we're going to town tomorrow?" Marlene asked excitedly.

Cloud turned around to Tifa, stretching his back and sending her a questioning look. Tifa thought it over for a brief second and became Old Tifa, the one who was always nice and sweet to everybody.

"Would we all fit on Fenrir?" Tifa asked.

Cloud gave a small smile.

"Yeah."

Marlene cheered. Denzel didn't like the idea of shopping, but he liked the idea of the four of them.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

_**Hey guys. Well, since I've never played FFVII (oh, the shame!) I'm just spitballing here. Ignore the lack of a name for "town."**_

Chapter 14

In the year that Tifa had spent away from town, they had built a mall. She and Marlene were ecstatic. Cloud smiled at them and Denzel groaned.

"Do we have to?" he asked Cloud.

"A happy woman is a happy family," Cloud said wisely. Tifa smiled at that. Cloud didn't seem to obey his own rules sometimes.

"They need new clothes for school," Tifa said to him. "But they probably need some new school supplies too."

Cloud nodded. "I've got it."

"Thanks, Cloud."

"You don't need to thank me."

Was he buying his way to forgiveness?

"Mmkay." Cloud looked at her.

"I'm doing this because we're a family," Cloud said. "I'm just doing my share. My money is your money, too."

Tifa just nodded.

"Mmkay." She couldn't deny that they had been rather tight this past month and a half. Denzel and Marlene would be very careful with spills and grass stains because they didn't know when Tifa would do another wash load.

"Tifa!"

Tifa looked up. Marlene was gripping an adorable shirt, but it was way too big for her, coming past her knees like a long dress. Tifa laughed and went over to find the right size. Cloud and Denzel stood at a distance, watching. It was kind of funny. Cloud looked very cool and calm, and nobody dared to look at him twice. Denzel, on the other hand, had the other effect. He was a miniature Cloud, only he looked adorable doing it. Tifa suppressed her laughter and helped Marlene.

_**Sorry for the short chapter!! **_

_**You know what I want. REVIEW!!**_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

They were leaving. Everyone was carrying at least one bag. Cloud was carrying four. Denzel was carrying three. Tifa and Marlene carried one. Denzel was learning the lesson of the gentleman well.

"How is this all gonna fit on Fenrir?" Denzel asked.

"I don't know," Cloud answered honestly. "We might have to leave you here." Cloud joked so seriously. Tifa pretended to punch his arm as Denzel looked shocked. Cloud gave a small chuckle. "Just kidding, Denz." Denzel looked relieved. Marlene giggled.

Once outside, Denzel, Marlene and Tifa sighed (Cloud never sighed). Fenrir had looked a lot bigger when they went inside.

"Now what?" Tifa asked Cloud.

"I guess I could drive the kids home first," Cloud said slowly. "And then come pick you up."

"I can take the subway home if you take the kids."

Cloud nodded.

"That'll work. Do you need money?"

"I've still got some. It should be enough."

He took the bags from Tifa and started to load them on Fenrir. Then he lifted Marlene up and placed her in front of him. Denzel climbed behind him.

"See you in an hour or so," Cloud said. Tifa nodded.

"Be careful!" she warned Marlene and Denzel. "Cloud, please, no speeding!"

"Okay, Tifa."

She watched them leave the parking lot and turn around the corner. Tifa pushed worries out of her head and started to walk towards the subway station.

She wasn't mad at Cloud anymore, was she? Now she was mad at herself for not being mad at Cloud. He took her for granted. Yuffie had said that a thousand times.

"_That idiot just takes you for granted, Tifa!_"

Tifa had denied that a thousand times. But now, she started to wonder if that was true. Did he take her for granted? She never took Cloud for granted. There hadn't been a day since Aerith's death that she knew Cloud would come home. She would always hope he would come home, and she would be so, so happy when he did. Even if his usual greeting was, "Hey," and she would have a one-sided conversation with him about her day. Then after he'd eaten and she'd talked, he'd go upstairs and do whatever. She'd always have this warm feeling inside of her, even if he said nothing else to her than "Hey."

"I'd like a ticket to Midgar, please," Tifa said.

"_Why aren't you two married?_"

Tifa reconsidered that question. Was Cloud just a friend? If he was a friend, wouldn't she have been able to let go easier when he wouldn't come home? She always wondered why she had cared so much. She loved him. No, she was in love with him.

That was the answer.

Tifa took a deep breath and leaned her forehead against the window. The cool glass felt good against her skin. She closed her eyes.

She loved him. So now what? It was obvious he didn't love her. He loved Aerith. Tifa couldn't beat someone who was dead. He would always love Aerith. And even if he did love Tifa, which he obviously didn't since he kept running away from her, he probably wouldn't even notice it until she was dead. Because that's how friendship and love seemed to work with Cloud. She felt herself doze off. The window felt good against her forehead. Summer was almost over, but it was still hot. Should she tell him? No. She'd scare him away again. Little good that would do. Who knew, they might be forty by the time that they even make a little baby-step forward. Denzel and Marlene would be grandparents by the time Cloud would scoop up the courage to even touch her.

Tifa laughed before she fell asleep.

_**Gasp! Ohs noes! Mua ha ha… don't worry, my next chapter is coming soon.**_

_**REVIEW! Please? :3**_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Hey. Wake up."

Tifa was woken up by somebody shaking her. It was an old lady with gnarled hands and a wrinkled face.

"Mmm?" Tifa stifled a yawn.

"I think you missed wherever you're going. You've been here as long as I have."

"What?" Tifa gasped. She shot up. "What time is it?"

"About one AM." She squinted at Tifa. "I woulda woken y'up earlier but… none of my business, really."

"No, no, thank you!" Tifa rushed off the subway while it was still standing still. Nobody was there, except for the person who sold tickets.

"Excuse me!" Tifa ran towards them. "Uhm, this might sound strange, but… where am I?"

She looked at Tifa sourly.

"You're near Junon," she said.

Tifa gasped.

"Oh no! Could I have a ticket to Edge, please?"

"The subways don't run after one AM." She said this as if Tifa ought to know how important that is. Tifa swore under her breath. She left the subway station and took out her cell phone.

It had died.

"No!" Tifa started a whole string of cuss words that would make Cid proud. She looked up. She was standing on a dirt road. Ahead of her, she saw city lights. She didn't want to go back and talk to that person again. So she started to run up the hill and towards the lights. What time had Cloud left her?

"_See you in an hour orso."_

She was screwed. Unless Cloud considered (had it been three in the afternoon or two?) ten or more hours "orso." She secretly hoped that Cloud was worried sick about her. She pictured him crying over her dead body, admitting he had always loved her. But then her fantasy turned into a nightmare as she morphed into Aerith's body and Cloud dropped her into a lake while she was screaming his name.

Tifa had made it to the city. She wasn't in as good shape as she used to be. She was panting. She felt horrible. What were Denzel and Marlene thinking? And Cloud? What was Cloud thinking?

There was an inn. The bar was still open, so she went inside. She immediately went to the bartender.

"Excuse me, do you have a phone I may use?"

He looked at her gruffly. Why was everyone being so unkind to her?!

"Yeah. Right there." He pointed a fat finger to a payphone. Great. Tifa had no change.

"Would you exchange money with me? I don't have any change."

Several minutes later, Tifa was inserting change into the pay phone.

Another three minutes later, Tifa realized it wasn't working.

"Dammit! Why isn't anything working?!"

She hurried out the door and went searching for another bar. Why did this have to happen now?! Weren't there any other bars in this freaking place?! She felt like crying. The lights were going off. What was she going to do now?! She felt like an idiot. She shouldn't have fallen asleep. She should've recharged her phone. She was tired. She sat down and tried her hardest not to cry. She would have to wait here until shops started to open again. Then she would call Cloud and everything would be fine.

_**Review!! Please? :3 Otherwise I won't post a new chapter!! Mua ha ha**_


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Tifa knew Cloud would have been mad at her if she fell asleep all by herself. But she did anyway, because she was miserable and tired. Luckily, nothing had happened to her (as far as she knew). It was raining. Why was it such crappy weather?

Tifa dragged her feet into a restaurant that was packed.

"Whatcha want?" The hostess didn't look friendly either, and she was glaring at Tifa. Tifa felt like crying again.

"I need to call someone," she said in a small voice.

The hostess sighed and threw her a look.

"Dontcha have a cell phone?"

"No," she said.

With another sigh, the hostess took her to the back of the restaurant and gave her a phone.

"Five minutes," she said crabbily before walking away.

After one ring, it was answered.

"Tifa?!" It was Barret's voice.

"Yeah, it's me," Tifa said surprised.

"Dammit, Tifa, where the hell have you been?! Are you alright?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Who took you?!"

"Nobody, I fell asleep on the subway." Tifa bit her lip as Barret raged on.

"'I fell asleep on the subway.' Bwa! What kind of an excuse is that?! You slept for twenty-one freaking hours?! What the hell?!"

"No, my phone was dead--"

"Where are you?!"

"I'm in Junon." She was almost ready to cry again. "What's going on? Why do you have Cloud's phone?"

"Cloud started to get worried so he left his phone with Denzel and Marlene so they could call me if he stayed away too long. There is no home phone anymore." That would be Tifa's fault.

"Where is he?"

"I dunno! Going everywhere trying to find you I assume. He's been trying to check in every hour but he lost track of time I guess. We've been lookin' for ya and trying to call every inn to see if they had seen a girl with long black hair and a big chest."

Very funny.

"Not helping, Barret."

"Do you have money?"

"Not much."

"Okay. Stay put. I giss I'll come getcha. Marlene! Denzel! You two stay put in case Spikey comes home. I'm gonna go get Mamma. Where in Junon are ya? Oh, never mind."

"Who is it?"

Tifa heard Cloud's voice in the background and breathed a sigh of relief. She heard him snatch the phone from Barret.

"Tifa?!"

"Yes, Cloud. It's me." Why was she so weepy lately?

He sighed. Cloud had sighed. Cloud never sighed.

"Does Shinra have you?"

"Rufus Shinra? No, why would he?" Tifa felt herself smile. "I fell asleep on the subway. How stupid is that?"

"Pretty stupid," Cloud admitted. Tifa thought she head a humorous tone in his voice. "So you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just so tired." Tifa rubbed her hand over her face.

"Yeah, me too."

"I'm sorry."

Cloud was silent. "I'll come pick you up before I get really angry at you for making me worry like that."

"I'm sorry, Cloud."

"I know you are, Teef. Where are you?"

Tifa told him what the restaurant was called and Cloud told her to stay there until he came to get her.


	18. Chapter 18

Ughhhh, I don't like how this chapter turned out

_**Ughhhh, I don't like how this chapter turned out. But since an evil person who goes by the name of MARISA –glares- won't post more unless I do, I didn't have time to edit this and all of the chapters I also typed already.**_

Chapter 18

Cloud arrived about four hours later on Fenrir. She saw him from the window as he parked Fenrir. Tifa jumped up and left her food. She tried to run out of the restaurant but she was stopped by the nasty hostess. Next to her stood a fat man holding a thick stick. Oh no.

"Aren't you going to pay for that?" she snarled.

Why was everyone being so mean to her? She was already feeling horrible for falling asleep on the subway and making everyone worry about her.

"Uhm, yeah, but--"

"But what? You were trying to run off so you don't have to pay? Nice try. Cough it up."

"But I…" Tifa felt she was crying now. "I don't have any money, but my…" 'My' what? What was Cloud?

Just then the door burst open and everyone felt silent. The crowd seemed to part for Cloud. Maybe it was his Mako-eyes. Maybe it was the look on his face. Or, maybe, it was the First Tsurugi, which he held in his right hand, swinging dangerously back and forth with each step he made.

"Back off," he snarled to the fat owner. He looked very pissed off.

"Now look here, punk--" the owner started, but stopped dead in his sentence as Cloud's sword was quickly pressed on his throat.

"I said, back off," Cloud said between gritted teeth.

"B-but sh-she didn't pay," the owner stammered. Cloud reached into his pocket and slammed down some money.

"There." He lowered his sword. "We'll be leaving now."

The owner dropped the stick and nodded faintly. He had seen the Mako in Cloud's eyes. Apparently, he was happy he was still alive.

"Hang on, Tifa," Cloud murmured as he led her outside. "Wait until we're outside."

As soon as the door closed, Tifa turned around and buried her face in Cloud's chest and broke down. She started crying and blubbering about everything that happened within the past twenty-four hours. Cloud didn't say anything, he just listened and held her. When she had calmed down, he pulled away from her.

"You okay?"

Tifa sniffled and nodded.

"I'm sorry. I didn't…"

"It's okay." Cloud gave a little nod. "Ready to go home?"

"Yeah."

Cloud climbed on Fenrir and Tifa climbed behind him. She grabbed the back of his shirt and he started the engine. As they drove off and Tifa rested her forehead against his back, she realized that they were very different. While Cloud would run away, Tifa would stay and face it all. But Tifa would let Cloud run away, whereas Cloud wouldn't let Tifa run away.

_**Review? :3**_


	19. Chapter 19

I'll make up for the horrible chapter 18 with this one :D

_**I'll make up for the horrible chapter 18 with this one :D**_

Chapter 19

When they finally arrived home, Marlene, Denzel, and all of their friends were sitting outside on the sidewalk. People were looking at them rather strangely.

At the sound of Fenrir's engine, they all jumped up and started crying Tifa's name. She felt herself smile, but her eyelids were drooping as well. She was so tired. Funnily enough, that was what got her into this mess in the first place. Cloud must be tired, too. Driving Fenrir for eight hours just because of her stupid mistake. As they dismounted, their friends rushed over to them.

Marlene and Denzel came first, and Tifa hugged them and they hugged her. Within the next twenty minutes, accuses and apologies were often exchanged.

"Cloud thought that Shinra had ya," Cid said.

"I just fell asleep!" Tifa defended. "And got lost. But that's it! No kidnapping. I'm fine."

Luckily, Vincent took their hints that they needed some sleep, and the gang scattered their separate ways. Cloud and Tifa walked inside like zombies, with Marlene and Denzel explaining everything that had happened since Tifa's disappearance in vivid detail.

"You were gone for, like, an hour!" Denzel exclaimed.

"And Cloud started to get worried!" Marlene supplied.

"And he started calling your cell phone!"

"But you wouldn't answer!"

"So he left his cell phone here so we could call Barret if he was gone for longer than two hours!"

"And he called later telling us to go ahead and call Papa because he'd be gone all night!"

Tifa did everything she could to keep her eyes wrenched open. It was harder now because they were sitting on the couch.

"And Cloud told Barret Shinra had you!"

"So he went to see Mr. Shinra!"

"And then Cloud stopped calling!"

"And we were so scared!"

"And Barret made us watch TV!"

"Papa said he'd do the worrying!"

"And he made us make a cake!"

"And we cleaned the whole house!"

"Barret said it would be nice for you when you came home!"

"Did you notice?"

"Did we do a good job?"

"Denzel wouldn't let me vacuum! Or mop!"

"That's because you're too short!"

"Am not!"

"Yes you are, Marlene!"

Tifa stole a glance at Cloud and was surprised to see him sitting slumped on the couch next to her, his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open.

"Guys, can you maybe save this story for tomorrow?" Tifa said, stifling laughter. "Cloud and I are very tired."

They reluctantly agreed and started to get ready for bed. Tifa took Cloud's legs and swung them up on the couch. She went and got a blanket for him and put it down on the couch ledge. She took off his boots and took off as much of his gear as she could. Then, she swept the blanket over him. While she was studying his face, she noticed dark circles under his eyes.

"Were you up all night looking for me?" Tifa asked him softly. He of course didn't reply. "Are you really sleeping?" Still silence. "In that case, I'll tell you a secret." Tifa bent forwards and put her lips to his ear. "I'm in love with you."

As she pulled away, his face was still peaceful, his mouth still slightly open. Tifa laughed softly and shook her head. Then, she stumbled up the stairs. She didn't bother to close the room to her door. She kicked off her shoes and fell on her bed, asleep within seconds.

_**Review? :3 That's what keeps me going :D**_


	20. Chapter 20

Things will become more clear for you in this chapter :)

_**Things will become more clear for you in this chapter :)**_

Chapter 20

"Tifa."

"Mmmm."

"Tifa."

"…What, Denzel?"

"I'm not Denzel, Tifa."

"Cloud?" Tifa rolled over on her back and squinted at him. "What's wrong?"

"Barret took the kids for a while." Cloud sat down in a chair in the corner of her room. The circles under his eyes were still dark-purple. "I figured you would want to talk."

Tifa rubbed her eyes and crossed her legs.

"Yeah." She brought a hand through her hair, then gripped her ankles and rocked back and forth. A million things processed through her head. Where had he been? What had he been doing? Why did he think Shinra had her? And the most important thing she would never ask, did he love her?

"Where have you been this past month?" Tifa asked quietly.

Cloud bit on the inside of his cheek.

"I'm not supposed to tell you, but you can keep a secret, right?" Tifa nodded slowly. "I've been doing some cleaning up for Rufus Shinra."

"Rufus Shinra?!" Tifa yelled. "Why the hell would you do that?! Cloud, his company destroyed the planet!"

"I know that." Cloud's tone told her he wasn't done yet. "I only did it because they were watching the house."

Tifa felt like he had slapped her in the face.

"What?"

"Didn't you notice Turks were all over the damned bar?" He was angry, but it wasn't directed towards her. "They were going to do something to you and Denzel and Marlene if I didn't listen. They were watching us. We should have kept a closer watch. But we didn't. We let ourselves go. And then we had to pay the price." Tifa liked the way he said "we." She soundlessly let it roll off her tongue. It sounded just as good as "Tifa" did in his mouth.

"What do you mean with cleaning up?" Tifa asked. "You don't mean--"

"Killing. That's exactly what I mean."

"Cloud!"

"These people were anything but innocent, Tifa. And it was either you or them. Sorry if I chose the bad guys over you." His voice was dripping sarcasm.

Tifa bit her lower lip. He knew she didn't like him killing people.

"What kind of bad guys?"

"The kind that rounds up innocent orphans like Denzel by the age of ten and tries to create a kid army to 'stop Shinra and save the planet.'" Cloud sounded very angry now. Tifa couldn't blame him. "They go around and offer orphans a job. The orphans think it's great and all that, but they make them do horrible things." Cloud rubbed his eyes. "I saw one of those things. The kid looked like Denzel. He was about eight or so. He was supposed to slit a Shinra ex-employee's throat. If he didn't, his little sister would be killed right in front of his eyes. He was crying and…" Cloud looked at Tifa's horrified face. His eyes were tired and sad. "I'll spare you the details."

"Did you…?"

"No. I didn't make it on time." Tifa shut her eyes and looked away from him. "Anyway, they're all gone now. I took care of that. I killed their leader last. That was when I got stabbed. I had to go to you. I had nowhere else to go."

By now, Tifa felt very guilty for being mad at him. How could she have been so stubborn to not even listen to his story?! She wanted to smack herself.

"Is that why you thought Shinra had me?" Tifa asked softly.

Cloud nodded. "Mmm. I thought he hadn't kept our agreement."

Another wave of guilt hit Tifa.

"I'm sorry," Tifa stammered. "I'm so sorry, I… I thought that you had left us again and… I was just so sick of waiting. So I cleaned out your bedroom and I painted it and I got rid of everything that was you. It made me feel better. I hated your absence. I couldn't remember your face. The only thing I kept were your pictures. The rest I threw away or sold."

"I'm glad you kept the pictures," Cloud said. "I guess I haven't really proved myself trustworthy, haven't I?"

Tifa gave a small smile.

"Are you going to stay?"

"Do you want me to stay?"

Her smile grew. "Yes."

"Well then. I'm pretty sure I'm not going anywhere."

"Where will you sleep?"

"I don't know." Cloud leaned his head against the wall. "If we were married, we could sleep in the same room," he said jokingly in that serious way of his.

"Yeah," Tifa said softly. "Too bad, huh?"

_**Give me reviews!! :D**_


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

When Barret brought Marlene and Denzel back, they had smiles on their faces that told Tifa Barret had let them behind the wheel again. Was she the only one keeping a hand on things?

She remembered about a month and a half ago after Cloud had defeated Sephiroth. Tifa and Marlene had been taken home by Barret (who was also transporting the rest of the gang except for Cid, Red XIII and Cait Sith, who went with Cid on his airship), but Cloud had taken Denzel with him on Fenrir. Barret went ahead and drove on, and about ten minutes later, Cloud caught up to them. Tifa remembered her horror as she saw Denzel steering Fenrir, Cloud holding Denzel's arms, so small compared to Cloud's, in place, sitting behind Denzel. Tifa screamed so loud and so high Denzel and Cloud turned their heads towards her. Cloud had looked like a child who got caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar, while Denzel didn't seem too bothered by it (Denzel probably knew Cloud would be the one getting in trouble instead of him). She had to suffer the consequence: Yuffie mimicking her scream each time she saw her for the next two weeks. As soon as Barret stopped his truck (everyone was still laughing at Yuffie's constant "Tifa-spazzes-out" scream), Tifa jumped out of the truck, gripping a rolled-up flyer for an expensive seafood restaurant that had been laying on the floor of Barret's truck and attacked Cloud with it.

"Don't – you – ever – do – that – to – me - AGAIN!" she had yelled between gritted teeth, one blow for each word. Cloud had laughed as he defended himself.

That was a good memory. Even though it was because of a horrifying experience that nearly gave Tifa a heart attack.

"Bar-RUUUUUT." Tifa said, a disapproving frown on her face.

"What?" he said.

"You _know _I don't like it when you let the kids drive!" she scowled.

"Humph." He knew she was right, so instead he dropped down on the couch. "Where's that Spikey?!" Marlene climbed up to sit next to him.

"He went to the store." Tifa shrugged. "Something about the First Tsurugi. Probably wants to clean it."

"So you two are cool now?" Barret asked.

"Yeah," Tifa said. "Are you hungry?"

"Nahh," Barret said. "I should get going." He gave Marlene a hug and Denzel a ruffle and left within three minutes.

"So Cloud's living here now?" Denzel asked.

"Yep!" Tifa said.

"Should I move back in with Marlene?"

"No, I don't think that's a good idea." Marlene was getting too old for that. "I don't know what we're going to do. Uhm… maybe we should move."

"Move?!"

"But Tifa, your bar…"

"I know, sweetie. But we don't want Cloud sleeping on the couch for the rest of his life, do we now? He might hurt his back and he won't be able to fight anymore." Denzel and Marlene laughed at the thought of Cloud as an old man.

"I wonder if his hair would still be spiky…" Denzel wondered.

"Maybe they'd be white spikes instead of blond," Tifa laughed. "Well, what do you two want for dinner?"

Cloud didn't come home until 7:30, but at least he came home, Tifa thought to herself.

"Hey!" Tifa greeted him from the couch where she, Denzel and Marlene were watching. Cloud came inside and shut the door behind him, bolting it.

"Hey." The rings under his eyes were darker and he looked exhausted. He slumped down on the couch next to Tifa.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yeah."

"I'll go heat up some dinner for you." Tifa stood up and walked into the kitchen.

"You guys already ate?" he asked.

"Well, yeah," Tifa said. "We weren't sure if you were coming home or not, so…"

Cloud rubbed his eyes, long and hard.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" Tifa suggested.

"I have to fix Fenrir," Cloud said. "Something's wrong with the engine."

"Can I help, Cloud?" Denzel asked.

"Yeah. C'mon."

"Not too long…" Tifa said softly.

"No. I'll send him in by nine." And with that, Cloud closed the door.

She was being selfish. She wanted Cloud all to herself for a few minutes. But Cloud belonged to everyone. Everyone but Tifa, so it seemed to her. Tifa couldn't help but feel a little jealous when she watched Cloud grab Denzel's hand and show him how to use a wrench.

_**Reviewy? :3**_


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The next day, Cloud was home by six o'clock sharp, Tifa noted with pleasure. He'd been running deliveries 24/7 so they had some more money for when school started again. And although Tifa loved the bar, it was getting emptier each week, and she was seriously considering selling it. It would probably be the best for all of them.

"Cloud," Tifa said while they were eating, "do you think… we should move?"

Cloud stopped chewing.

"Move? Why?"

"You've been sleeping on that couch for two weeks now. You go to bed after everyone else and get up before everyone else just so that we can use that couch. Don't you want your own room?"

"I dunno." Cloud shrugged indifferently, which annoyed Tifa. He ought to care about this sort of thing. Tifa pressed her hand against her forehead, trying to think.

"Maybe we could cut off part of the bar and make that into another bedroom. What do you say?"

Cloud stood up, setting his utensils beside his plate.

"I don't know."

He left the kitchen with abnormal speed. On his way out the door, he seized the First Tsurugi. The door slammed closed.

"Damn it." Tifa stood up hastily and followed after him. "Cloud! CLOUD!"

She swung the door open and burst outside just in time to see Fenrir turn around the corner.

"CLOUD!"

He was gone. Tifa needed to get herself a damned motorcycle once they had enough money.

"Dammit!" she yelled. "Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!"

She turned around and kicked the wall angrily. It didn't hurt her foot, and luckily the wall didn't break. She ran back inside and seized her phone before running back outside.

"_You have reached the voicemail of--_" Tifa swore. "_Cloud Strife. Here's the beep. Hope ya know what to do with it."_

"Cloud. You better pick up that damned cell phone now and explain to me why the hell you took off like that. I don't see what the hell your problem was all of a sudden." Tifa swore again and hung up. He wasn't going to answer. He wasn't going to call back. God knew when he'd come back.

Tifa suddenly realized something. He'd taken off in the direction of Aerith's church.

"Oh no he didn't," Tifa gasped. "That little bitch!"

_**Sorry for the lack of language. I'm trying to keep it restricted to what they're allowed to say on TV. But I might change it to what they say on British TV, lmao xD**_

_**Oooh look at the pretty button! Review**_


	23. Chapter 23

Shoop-de-wewp

_**Shoop-de-wewp! Another chapter :3**_

_**I wanted to say real quick that depression never truly leaves a person. That's all**_

Chapter 23

After Tifa had promised the children she'd be back soon (leaving her phone with them to call Barret just in case) Tifa ran all the way to Aerith's church. She saw Cloud's motorcycle standing outside and she made a mental note to kill him. She was just planning on how exactly to kill Cloud (stabbing or strangling?) when she heard a strange noise from inside. Tifa slowed down to a walk and slipped through the open doors.

There sat Cloud, on his knees by the water. The strange sound was coming from him. Tifa silently walked forwards, wondering what Cloud was doing.

What was going on? Tifa somehow had the idea she still didn't understand Cloud. Then she realized what he was doing. She ran forwards and put her arms around him, rocking him back and forth. Cloud didn't even seem surprised she was there. She nestled her head by his neck and held him as he sobbed.

Eventually, Cloud stopped and calmed down.

"I almost did it again," he said softly. "I almost ran away again. I don't know why I'm even here. I was going to…" Cloud stopped talking. "I wanted to kill myself. I don't know why."

Tifa tightened her grip.

"Don't," she said. "Don't ever think about that again. Because that would really make the kids sad."

Cloud jerked out of her grip.

"And you, Tifa?!" he yelled. "Would you even care?!"

He stood up, walked away from her and sat down ten feet away from her.

"What kind of a question is that, Cloud?" Tifa said softly. "Is that what you think of me?" Tifa blinked away the hot tears blurring her vision. "It would be the death of me." Tifa blinked again and looked directly at Cloud. "I love you, Cloud."

"I love you too, Tifa," Cloud said matter-of-factly. The way a friend would say it to another. The way a brother would say it to a sister. The tears were falling freely now. Tifa closed her eyes and shook her head.

"NO!" she screamed. "That's not how I mean it!"

There was a silence as her scream faded away. Cloud was looking at her strangely. He never looked like that. Tifa couldn't make out what it meant, and that scared her. Cloud never made a face that Tifa hadn't seen before.

"…Tifa, I--"

Suddenly Cloud's cell phone rang. Tifa quickly looked away. Was her face burning?

"Tifa."

"What?"

"Tifa."

"I'm right here."

"No… '_Tifa.'_" Cloud turned around his ringing phone to show Tifa the display.

"But I don't…" Her voice trailed off. She gasped. "The kids!" She dove towards Cloud's phone and flipped it open. Cloud turned it on speakerphone.

"Denzel? Marlene?" Tifa asked.

There was only laughter. It sent a cold chill over Tifa's spine. Cloud grew rigid.

"Hello Mr. Strife," the high, cruel male voice said. "And so our paths cross once again. You do realize I have Mako in me, too, right? I'm just – like – you."

And then he hung up.

_**The plot is picking up it's pace. Review please, it really keeps me going :)**_


	24. Chapter 24

I know I'm a cruel person for not updating and then updating ten chapters all at the same time

_**I know I'm a cruel person for not updating and then updating ten chapters all at the same time. Sorry! My inspiration comes in short bursts and leaves as quickly as it came, sometimes it takes weeks for me to get it back.**_

Chapter 24

Tifa jumped off of Fenrir before Cloud had even stopped. She stumbled and fell. Her knee was rent open, she gasped in pain.

"Tifa!" Cloud yelled. He parked Fenrir hastily and dismounted. Tifa stood up and ran towards the house. "Tifa! Wait!"

Cloud caught up to her and seized her arm.

"Wait. Get behind me."

"But Marlene and-!"

"Tifa."

Cloud said her name in such a strange tone, that Tifa immediately obeyed. Cloud gripped the First Tsurugi and had it ready.

Then, with his foot, he kicked the door open.

The house was a mess. The couch was ripped open. The TV was destroyed.

Tifa swallowed back a sob. She tried to push past Cloud, but he didn't let her.

"I have to see if anyone's here, Tifa," he said softly. "Stay behind me."

"I can fight!"

"I know you can. But it's my problem. Stay behind me." Tifa stood behind him again. Her knee was stinging. Denzel and Marlene were gone.

"It's my fault," Tifa muttered. "It's all my fault…!"

"No it's not," Cloud said. "If you were there, you would have been with them or you would have been killed."

"It's still my fault."

"Tifa, hush."

Cloud led her through the house and bar. They only found more ruin and destruction wherever they went, no Marlene or Denzel. Tifa almost passed out when they found blood in Denzel's room, but Cloud told her that it was his old blood from a long time ago. Tifa decided to believe him because the blood was brown and dried-up.

Nobody was in the house besides the two of them. Tifa would have loved this several days ago.

"There's no one here," Cloud said. He strode outside and Tifa followed him. "I should see Shinra. He better not be behind this."

Cloud got on Fenrir, then looked at Tifa.

"Are you coming?"

"What about Denzel and Marlene?" Tifa was aware her voice was shaking. "What are you going to do about them?"

Cloud swung the First Tsurugi in his harness.

"I'm going to find them. Then I'm going to skin the son-of-a-bitch who took them alive. Get on."

This new Cloud who was commanding Tifa around scared her a bit. But she somehow liked it. It was better than the old Cloud who stood by and did nothing. Tifa climbed behind Cloud and he drove off before her butt was completely seated.

_**Cloud's acting like a real dad, hmm? Review?**_


	25. Chapter 25

Yay

_**Yay! Blood, sweat and tears. Here is chapter 25!!**_

_**My first fanfic is coming to a close **_

Chapter 25

Healin was still the same place Tifa remembered. It seemed pretty vacant, seeing as Geostigma was no longer a threat. Cloud didn't even wait for Tifa to dismount Fenrir and follow him. He practically ran up the stairs, considering the speed he was going. Tifa attempted to keep up. Cloud kicked open the door and stomped inside.

"Cloud! What a surprise."

Cloud rushed to Rufus Shinra, who was sitting in a chair by the window, so fast, he was a blur. He seized Shinra by the throat and pinned him against the wall.

"Where… are they, Shinra?!" he growled.

"Who?" Shinra asked innocently. "Please let me go. This isn't very comfortable at all."

"Oi!" Reno and Rude had appeared. Reno rushed forwards to help his boss. Tifa stuck out her foot and Reno tripped and fell. He tried to get up, but Tifa stomped her foot on his back and ground him down again. Reno yelled.

"Hello, Rude," Tifa said in sarcastic politeness.

"Uh… Miss Lockhart…"

"The kids. What did you do with the kids?!"

"The kids…?" Shinra trailed off. "I don't have the kids, Cloud. I don't know what you're talking about. You kept up your end of the bargain and so did we."

"Don't! lie to me, Shinra!" Cloud yelled.

"Did you maybe forget a member or two when you were busy killing?" Shinra asked calmly. Cloud eased his grip and Shinra was standing on his own feet. It would have been hilarious at any other time to Tifa, because Shinra was around six feet, while Cloud was… well, short. And yet Cloud held him by the throat.

"What?" Cloud said blankly.

"You heard me. Are you sure you killed them all?"

Cloud released Shinra, who rubbed his throat.

"Of course I'm--"

"Or were you in too much of a hurry to get back to your family?" Shinra cast a glance at Tifa.

Cloud remained silent.

"Is that leader… he's a SOLDIER, isn't he? Or he was, anyway."

Rufus nodded.

"Yes. That's the reason I needed you, Cloud. You are the SOLDIER amongst the SOLDIERS."

"Enough about me being special. Where can I find him?"

"At the Forgotten City."

Cloud swore.

"Why would those bastards be there?!"

"To tick you off. It seems to be working." Rufus smiled amusedly. "Now, Miss Lockhart, I would very much appreciate it if you took your foot off my employee's head. I doubt he has enough oxygen."

Tifa remembered Reno.

"Oh!" She removed her foot off of his head.

"Look at that," Cloud sneered, "your face finally matches your hair."

"Be quiet!" Shinra snapped at Reno, whose face was a bright shade of red because of his lack of oxygen.

"Rufus, could you watch Tifa while I go find Denzel and Marlene?" Cloud asked, trying to sound a bit friendlier but not really succeeding.

"'Watch Tifa'?! What am I, a baby?!" Tifa demanded.

"Cloud's baby," Reno smirked. Tifa shot him daggers and Reno's smirk fell a bit.

"Cloud, don't you think you've done enough on your own?!" Tifa yelled. Cloud looked at her.

"It's my mess, I don't want you involved."

"It's not your mess, it's their freaking mess!"

"Ouch! That hurt."

"Shut up, Reno!" Tifa and Cloud both yelled.

"We will of course do our share this time." Rufus cast a glance at Reno.

"Look," Tifa said, more calmly this time. "I know you don't want anybody else getting hurt. But look at what happened last time. You almost got yourself killed. You need help. Who knows how many followers he has now?"

"He probably has the same," Shinra commented. Cloud groaned. "Probably Zombies, but Zombies can still do a decent amount of damage."

"Exactly. Cloud? Please?" Tifa said. "Let me help you."

Cloud let his head hang backwards.

"Alright! What do you suggest?"

Tifa smirked.

"I think it's time to call AVALANCHE together one last time."

"Yeah baby!" Reno exclaimed. "Let's go kick some Zombie asses!"

_**Dontcha love redheads? :3 Review or I won't finish!!**_


	26. Chapter 26

I know there's a name for "The Forgotten City" but I just had a brainfart and I even thought for a few seconds I was using my two main characters in my other fanfic so I had to go back and correct everything xD

_**I know there's a name for "The Forgotten City" but I just had a brainfart and I even thought for a few seconds I was using my two main characters in my other fanfic so I had to go back and correct everything xD.**_

Chapter 26

"What… the hell… is that?!" Tifa hissed.

They were by the Forgotten City. And in front of them was an enormous metal structure.

"Looks like a tower," Cloud said softly. The metal structure was great in length and width and was sloppily painted white so it partially blended in with the trees. Around it stood hundreds of guards, but they didn't look like guards. They looked like puppets. They walked on the outer edge of their feet, their heads hung down and every movement was twitchy and jerky.

"When's the last time you came by here?!" Tifa demanded.

"Iono… three days ago? Ow!" Tifa had smacked him at the side of the head.

"Idiot!" she scolded. "And you didn't see this thing?!"

"I was thinking, not sight-seeing!"

"Well, what's the plan, Mr. Oblivious?"

"Well… the rest of AVALANCHE is over there." Cloud pointed to the left. "Shinra and the Turks are over there." Cloud pointed to the right. Despite her worries about the children, Tifa noted that Cloud smelled awfully good. She wanted to turn her face towards him and kiss him full on the mouth.

"Are you listening?"

"Mm? Yeah."

"Like I was saying, the Turks are going to make an appearance and once they turn their attention to them, AVALANCHE will come out and attack from behind. Sneaky enough, hmm?"

"And where do you and I fit in this equation?" If Tifa said 'we', she just might have to follow through with her ideas.

"I will go find their Leader and battle it out with him. You will have the job to locate the kids and get them out of here safely."

After her defeat when she fought with Loz, Tifa hadn't been feeling very confident in herself. But Cloud entrusted her with this task. And she would do it.

"Okay!" Tifa nodded. "When are they going to attack?"

"At 1:23:45 A.M., I think. And then AVALANCHE comes in at 1:45:67. We go in whenever the battle gets tough enough for no one to notice us."

"Interesting numbers."

"Rude picked them. He seems to like…" Cloud's voice trailed off. Tifa didn't care about what Rude seemed to like, so she turned around and leaned against the bush they were peeking from. They both sat there in silence, waiting for the right time. Tifa vaguely wondered how she could be so close to Cloud, yet so far away.

"Cloud, I…" Tifa fell silent.

"Yeah?" Cloud said.

"It's nothing." Tifa sat there, messing with her hands and thinking. She had told Cloud how she finally felt about him. Did he even realize that? Or was he ignoring everything?

"You confuse me," Tifa said.

"Same here."

"What?" Tifa said blankly.

Cloud seemed to be in deep thought. "Your mood switches over so quickly. One moment you're happy, the next you're pissed off. And you seem to think way too much. About everything. Everything I do you seem to analyze. It's like… it seems like you're being careful with me, Tifa." He looked at her. "Why is that?"

Tifa thought about this for a moment.

"Are you sure you want to know why?"

Cloud blinked several times.

"Yeah."

"Alright. Zack. Aeris. Want more?"

Cloud winced.

"Okay, I got it." He rubbed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Tifa said. "That's why I need to choose my words carefully. Hey…" Tifa grabbed Cloud's arm and stroked it with her thumb. "It's fine, okay?" She gave him his special smile, the smile that was for Cloud and for Cloud only. Cloud nodded, then turned away from her.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a crashing tree.

"That's the sign," Cloud hissed. They turned around just in time to see the Turks start the attack.

Tifa was disgusted by the way the Zombies moved, rattling and shaking.

"Yuck."

Cloud chuckled.

A few minutes after the beginning of the battle, AVALANCHE suddenly came and attacked from behind: Barret, Yuffie, Cid, Vincent, Red XIII, and Cait Sith.

"Alrighty then!" Tifa whispered. She was excited. She and Cloud were finally doing something together. Not quite what she had in mind, but it was good enough for her at the moment. She said a quick prayer to Aerith that Marlene and Denzel would be okay.

"Let's go," Cloud said suddenly. He stood up swiftly and silently and Tifa followed his example.

"Be careful!" Cloud warned.

"Don't get killed!" Tifa yelled.

They ran off in opposite directions.

Tifa decided it was payback time.

_**Ahh.. only a few more chapters left. ;;**_

_**Review please?**_


	27. Chapter 27

_**Sorry for the lack of speed... Only a few more chapters left! Hopefully 35 will be the end of it all xD**_

Chapter 27

Tifa was running as fast as her legs could carry her, and that was pretty fast. She wasn't in as good shape as she used to be, but she still had her old strength.

Think, Tifa, she told herself. Find the kids.

She dove behind the building as more Zombies shivered by. She tried to open the door. It was locked. Tifa smirked. Like a lock was going to stop her.

To her amusement, she snapped the door in half. She wondered vaguely if Cloud had ever done that before, and she made plans to rub it in his face afterwards.

The inside was just as intimidating as the outside. The walls were made of sleek metal, and the floors were made out of construction metal. Tifa glided from door to door, opening them each a bit and peeking inside. In most of them, she found disgusting monsters in tubes that had been children at one point. Horrified and sickened, she hoped Denzel and Marlene weren't in the same state.

With each door she opened, Tifa grew sicker and more disgusted. In the last one on that hallway, she found a boy that looked just like Cloud back in Nibelheim. His eyes appeared to be missing and there were holes all through his hands. Thorns seemed to be growing out of him and he only had one leg. He was breathing heavily. So he's still alive, Tifa thought, horrorstruck.

"Who's there?!" he demanded. Tifa jumped and knocked over an oxygen tank. "I know you're there. Just please… do me one favor."

"What is it?" Tifa asked, her throat pinched tight.

"Kill me," he whispered hoarsely.

Tifa ran out of the room and slammed the door shut. She broke down and started sobbing. She wished Cloud had gone with her. Hell, even Yuffie would've been better than nobody. But Tifa was alone.

She stood up, her knee stinging from it being rent open earlier, and started to sneak down the stairs. She thought she had hit the jackpot when she found a locked door on the floor below. She got on her knees and peeked under the door, through the crack. She saw two pairs of shoes: Marlene's and Denzel's.

She picked the lock and opened the door.

"TIFA!"

She was hugged by her two unharmed children.

"Oh, I'm so happy you two are alright! We were so worried!" Tifa hugged each of them and gave them a kiss on their heads. "Now, we have to get out of here quickly!"

"Too late," Tifa heard herself say. Surprised, Tifa touched her mouth.

"Huh?"

"Tifa, behind you!" Denzel yelled. Tifa spun around.

"Holy freaking crap," Tifa whispered. (Well, that's not really what she said, but that's how she edited it, even though Denzel told everyone later at home and quoted her multiple times)

In front of her stood a woman about twenty-two years old, with dark-brown hair, brown eyes, and clad in black leather, under the vest a white tank-top, revealing a small bit of her flat stomach. Around her left arm was a faded pink ribbon.

"Hello," the woman said amused.

Tifa was staring at an exact replica of herself.

_**Ebil cliffhanger, no? Review?**_


	28. Chapter 28

Wewt I finally get to write some action

_**Wewt I finally get to write some action. Again, sorry for the lack of chapters. I had to finish up editing some videos and collaborations that were due months ago xD**_

Chapter 28

Tifa was grabbed by herself by the throat and slammed against the wall. Damn, Tifa never knew she was so strong. She instantly felt guilty for Reno.

"I bet you are surprised," the other one said, sneering coldly.

"Not really," Tifa lied. "It's not like I haven't seen a clone before. They have the nasty habit of coming across Cloud's path."

The Tifa clone snarled and pressed harder.

"Not me," she growled. "I'm not going to get killed like the other ones. I'm different."

Tifa laughed.

"I've heard that one before, too."

The clone released Tifa and she fell on the hard ground.

"Aren't you going to kill me?" Tifa asked.

Marlene let out a little gasp. The clone turned around and started for Marlene. Tifa quickly whipped her legs around and knocked the clone off of it's feet.

"RUN!" she yelled to Marlene and Denzel. "FIND BARRET!"

She jumped on the clone's stomach and punched her in the face. The clone threw Tifa against the wall, which knocked the breath out of her. Stars danced before her eyes. The clone advanced. Tifa dodged an attack and wrapped her legs around the clone's neck, turning her head away from her body. The clone screamed and threw herself against the ground. Tifa's back hit a bar and she lay paralyzed on the ground for a few seconds. Before she could stagger up, the clone seized her and threw her headfirst in a glass cabinet full of potions and liquid. The glass shattered and the acids started to pour down on Tifa. Tifa swore and rolled out of the way. As the clone ran towards her, Tifa seized two unbroken acids and threw them at the clone. The clone screamed as her flesh burnt away with a disgusting noise. Seeing herself in such a grotesque state, Tifa quickly slammed the rest of the cabinet down so the clone couldn't repeat the same trick.

"Not very smart, are you?" Tifa said calmly.

The clone growled and dove at her. She kicked Tifa in the stomach, slamming her against the wall. Then, she picked up a large shard of glass and started to advance towards her menacingly. Tifa swore in her mind and grabbed a chair, which she threw at the clone. It splintered into pieces and didn't do any damage. Tifa ran to the clone and seized its arms. They struggled back and forth for several seconds, until the clone took a swipe at Tifa's face. Tifa dodged it and the shard cut her arm instead. The clone blurred forwards and attacked again. Tifa wasn't fast enough and blocked her with the same arm. The shard buried itself deep into Tifa's arm. Tifa screamed and kicked the clone away. The clone recovered and stood there, panting triumphantly. The shard was so deep it seemed stuck in Tifa's skin. Her arm throbbed and she bit back another scream.

The clone ran towards her again and seized her by her throat, pinching off her air. Tifa gasped and struggled against her grip. The clone's face was distorted by the acid and by hate, the lust to kill Tifa taking over. Tifa dropped down to her knees and looked around the room for a way to kill the clone. Tifa saw a rather large power outlet about as big as her head. She wondered what they could possibly plug in that thing as she seized the clone's throat as well. She pushed her backwards and seized her arm. The clone looked too surprised to do anything. Tifa thrust the clone's arm into the power outlet and collapsed on the ground, clutching her throat as she coughed and gasped for air.

The clone screamed and cracked and sizzled for several seconds, until it was over. Tifa let herself fall to the floor and let dizziness overcome her.

The next thing she knew her name was being called by Barret.

"Tifa! Wake up, dammit!"

Tifa opened her eyes. Her breathing was still uneven, but the dizziness had disappeared. Barret had pulled the glass shard out of her arm and bound her wound.

"You okay?"

Tifa nodded numbly. Her arm felt asleep.

"Now you take it easy. You lost a lot of blood."

"Where are Marlene and Denzel?" Tifa demanded.

"They're right there. I didn't want them seeing this mess." Barret eyed the disgusting clone and helped Tifa up.

"I didn't realize they had my DNA," Tifa moaned.

"Apparently they did. And you're not the only one with a clone."

"Huh?"

"Everyone did. But they were real easy. Yuffie's clone was really stupid. It accidentally killed itself. Seems like you got a pretty good one though."

"Yeah. She was tough." Tifa rubbed her forehead with her hand.

"Cloud's got the best one though."

"What?"

"See yours? Its face is slightly different than yours. It's not completely symmetrical. Cloud's is perfect."

Tifa forgot to breathe for a minute.

"How is he doing?!"

"Okay, when we left him."

"You left him?!"

"He didn't want anybody else involved. He wanted to do it himself."

"Where are they?"

"Outside. We took care of them zombies…"

Tifa pushed past Barret and the kids and started to run the doors that led outside.

"Please, please…" she begged silently. She threw the doors open and looked around her. She soon spotted them, a little further away.

"CLOUD!" she called and started to run towards them.

"TIFA!" Two voices yelled her name.

She froze.

Her clone had been cold and very un-Tifa-like. Cloud's clone seemed exactly like Cloud. Whichever one it was.

They were perfectly in sync as they fought, seeming like dancers. Both of them had identical wounds and were bleeding insanely.

"STAY THERE!" they both yelled at her.

"Cloud! Which one is you?!"

"I am!"

"No, I am!"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Tifa registered in the back of the mind this would have normally been funny. She tried to think of a trick question, but she was too busy worrying about the two Clouds.

So when one of them was finally cut in the throat, Tifa screamed.

"Cloud?!"

"I'm the… real one," the one that had killed the other panted.

"Cloud!" Tifa gasped. She started forwards. "Are you hurt?!"

Cloud's cheek lifted as he attempted a smile. He staggered towards her.

"It's… nothing…"

He dropped to his knees and fell face down on the concrete.

_**Cloud is in trouble! D:**_

_**Review please! X3**_


	29. Chapter 29

Yayness… another chapter

_**Yayness… another chapter. I am afraid I have fallen victim of AIM. I had to literally tear myself away from it to type this. xD BECAUSE I LOVE YOU ALL.**_

Chapter 29

"CLOUD!" Tifa screamed. She never knew she could make such a horrible sound. She ran towards him as fast as her legs would let her, yet it seemed to take forever to get to him. She dropped down beside him, grabbing his shoulders.

"Cloud… Cloud… no… please, no…" Tifa whispered this as she turned him around. His eyes were shut tight, his teeth gritted in pain. "Cloud!" Tifa grabbed his face. She wanted to kiss him so badly. "You're alive!"

Cloud moaned in response.

"Let me look at your wounds," Tifa said softly. She tried very hard not to be prudish as she ripped off his shirt, the fabric tearing easily in her hands. Tifa gasped. There were many wounds where he was stabbed straight through the stomach and chest. Small and large, gaping, ragged holes. Too many gaping, ragged holes. Tifa's eyes watered up as she studied his muscled, ruined chest. She didn't want to see his chest like this. She thought she would have seen it under slightly different circumstances, in her best dreams.

"He's not gonna make it." Barret's voice was strangely sad and hopeless. Tifa started. Their friends were standing all around them. Marlene and Denzel stared at Cloud with large eyes and faces of disbelief. Barret pushed them behind him as Tifa spun around to face him.

"NO!" she yelled. "YOU'RE WRONG!"

"Tifa--" Barret grabbed her arm.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She jerked her arm out of his grasp and threw herself at Cloud. "Cloud… Cloud, hang in there…" She forged a smile just for him. He just looked at her, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. "You're gonna be fine…"

"Tifa… Barret's… right…"

"No," Tifa said firmly. "He's wrong and you're going to be alright." The tears were streaming freely now. They fell on his bloody chest. The blood became a bit thinner, mixing with Tifa's tears.  
"Tifa, he's dying," Barret said softly as he knelt down beside her. "Best accept it and--" Tifa spun around.

"SHUT UP!" she screamed. Her whole face was wet. "SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" She covered her eyes with her shaking hands and sobbed out loud a few times. Then, when she looked slightly better, she crawled over to Cloud and took his hand. Her trembling hands looked so small holding his. She took off his glove and pressed his hand against her lips as she sobbed.

Cloud was using all his strength to hang on, Tifa's mind registered. But he would be fine.

"You'll be fine… you're gonna be fine…" she kept whispering.

"Tifa," Cloud said hoarsely. Tifa swallowed.

"I'm here," she said to him. She gave him a watery smile. His eyes were wet. What? Tifa's mind refused to believe that. Maybe there was something in his eye.

"I need for you… to let me go." Tifa froze.

"What?"

"I'm dying, Tifa." Cloud's voice was a mere whisper now.

"No!" Tifa cried. "Stop saying that!"

"We knew this was gonna happen someday," Cloud said softly. "I'm sorry, Teef."

Tifa bent down and leaned her forehead on his uninjured shoulder and cried. Cloud gave her hand a weak squeeze.

"Keep Fenrir… and give it to Denzel… when he's sixteen." Cloud whispered hoarse instructions to her. "And… Tsurugi. Give Marlene… her present. I… bought her a doll… the other day. It's… under the couch."

Tifa suppressed a sob as she firmly squeezed her leaking eyes shut.

"I've got… money… in my sock drawer. Use it all for… you three. I'm sorry… I don't have anything for you."

"That's fine, because you're going to live," Tifa said firmly. "You'll have all the time in the world to buy me something."

Another wave of pain hit him. He yelled and squeezed his eyes shut. When it passed, he blacked out. His heart was faintly beating. It was getting slower with every passing minute.

Rain started to fall. Softly at first, then steadier and thicker. It washed away Cloud's blood, leaving behind gaping holes. Rain again. What? They had been in a drought. The last rain that had fallen was the healing rain from Aerith.

Aerith…

"That's it!" Tifa exclaimed. She heard herself laugh. She spun around to Barret and grabbed his arm. "Barret! Barret, you have to take him to Aerith's church. The water can heal Cloud! You have to!"

"Tifa, the kid's a goner," Barret said. "Moving him anywhere will just speed up the process!"

"Please!" Tifa begged. "Please Barret! I'll never ask you anything again. It'll work! I'm sure it'll work! Aerith wouldn't let him die! The church is a special place! Everyone's there! Zack's there too! They wouldn't let Cloud die! He beat death eight weeks ago, he can do it again! Please, Barret!"

Barret was considering all of this, Tifa could tell.

"She has a point, Barret," Vincent suddenly said.

"And even if he dies, we tried!" Yuffie supplied.

"C'mon, Barret. You're the only one that can carry him. Whaddya say?" Cid said.

Barret still looked indecisive, until Marlene spoke.

"Please, Papa?"

Barret gave a deep grumble.

"Oh, alright. Get the damn truck started, someone."

_**My story is coming to an end, my friends. :'(**_

_**Review and tell me what you think, please?**_


	30. Chapter 30

-sniffles- The last chapter before the epilogue…

_**-sniffles- The last chapter before the epilogue…**_

Chapter 30

"The water… he needs to be in the water…"

"Alright, alright! Keep your top on."

Tifa shut her mouth and watched with concern as Barret lowered Cloud into the water. Tifa jumped in after him and kept Cloud floating. She scooped water up with a hand and started to wash his wounds frantically. She forgot about her friends watching her every mood and how they would tease her about it later. She needed for Cloud to open his eyes.

After several minutes, she stopped and bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears as she stared at Cloud. He floated in the water, pale and lifeless, no longer bloody, because the rain had washed it all away. And still, nothing happened. It started to grow cold. A drop of rain fell on Cloud's cheek. Tifa looked up. Rain started to pour down from the large gaping hole in the ceiling. Tifa blinked several times. Her eyelashes stuck together.

Suddenly, the door creaked. Tifa shot a glance towards the door. It opened and in came children. Tifa wanted to yell at them, tell them to get the hell out, when she recognized their faces. They were the children with Geostigma, healed from Aerith's rain. They came forwards so solemnly, and did not seem surprised nor scared by the sight of Cloud. There were about thirty of them. They all sat on the ledge and dropped into the water. The girl with the pigtails came first towards Cloud. She leaned over him and closed her eyes. A tear rolled down her cheek and fell onto Cloud's chest, right onto a wound.

"What the…?" Cid mumbled.

Tifa stared in fascination as the deep wound closed up a bit. The girl gave Tifa a small smile.

"It was just like she said," she whispered. "'Come here and Cloud will be there. Save your savior.'"

"How did you…?" Tifa whispered hoarsely, her eyes wide.

"Know?" The girl shook her head. "It was more… that I already knew. And it seemed so natural."

She left Tifa and the next child came. The miraculous process was repeated. Slowly but surely, Cloud's wounds healed.

All the children had gone, and they stood in the water around Cloud, watching him, waiting for him to wake up. His wounds had disappeared. But he still wouldn't wake up.

"Something is missing," the little girl muttered.

Suddenly there was another splash. Tifa looked up.

Denzel was making his way towards them, a determined look on his face. Tifa smiled through her tears, feeling very proud of him.

Denzel bent over Cloud's face. Tifa didn't see him cry, but when he pulled back, Cloud was stirring. Tifa gasped.

Cloud groaned.

"CLOUD!" Tifa cried and she tackled him with a hug.

"OW!" he yelled. "Hey… Teef…"

She felt him stand up. Tifa cried on his shoulder.

"Don't you ever do that to me again! Stupid man-pride! You should've let someone help you! Damn you! Making me worry like that…"

Cloud let out a small chuckle.

"I'm sorry," he said, but he didn't sound sorry at all.

Soon there were more splashes and Tifa backed off, letting their friends and semi-kids have their Cloud-time. She let herself stare at him as he smiled and occasionally laughed (and yes, she did sneak a glimpse of his chest once… or twice). He seemed so happy.

Tifa was glad when Vincent joined her, sitting on a fallen pillar.

"They're all gone now," Vincent said. "Hojo's junior assistant was all behind this."

Tifa sighed.

"Why doesn't this surprise me?"

Vincent smirked.

"Don't worry. I took care of him. Everything is fine now."

Tifa and Vincent sat there in silence, and with Vincent, it seemed perfectly natural.

A few minutes later, the rest of them got out of the water and came towards where they were sitting. Tifa admired the children who spoke to Vincent. Vincent gave off that aura that even scared Tifa sometimes.

Tifa leaned towards Cloud, who sat next to her now.

"Feeling better?" she asked softly. He glanced at her, and she gave him the sweetest smile she had. Cloud grinned at her.

"Yeah," he whispered, "but I can't get these kids to go home."

Tifa laughed.

"Even though you're probably the most unapproachable person on Earth, Cloud, everyone loves you."

"You lie," Cloud pointed out. "Vincent?"

Tifa laughed again.

"Okay, I'll give you that one."

"Were you scared?"

Cloud's face looked dead serious now.

Tifa paused, then nodded slowly.

"I was," she said. She pulled her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth. "I was so scared." She blinked back the tears as she remembered how she had felt.

"I'm sorry," Cloud said very softly. Tifa looked at him. His face seemed pained.

"Don't be." Tifa smiled. "You're alive, aren't you?"

Cloud nodded and his cheek lifted. Another kid demanded his attention. Tifa stared at Cloud, studying his perfect features. She wondered what was going to happen next. She had basically confessed to Cloud, and here he sat, not doing anything about it. It was time she moved on.

Tifa sighed.

Cloud grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Tifa chuckled softly, then she leaned towards him, Cloud looking at her from the corner of his eye.

She was on a mission to kiss his cheek.

She didn't know what exactly happened. Maybe Cloud thought she was doing something else, or maybe he accidentally turned. All Tifa knew was that the next moment, her lips were on the corner of Cloud's.

She quickly pulled away, her face burning as she looked away.

Cloud blushed and looked away too.

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered. "I thought you loved… I thought you were going to…"

"No," Tifa interrupted. She laughed. "No!"

Cloud stopped dead-sentence.

"What?"

"I do!" she laughed. "And… I was going to kiss your cheek, but…" She heard herself laugh again. Then she threw herself at him and found his mouth. Cloud sat there, stiff and in shock for several moments, then slowly put his arms around Tifa and kissed her back.

After several small moments (although Tifa knew it was much longer), Tifa heard a familiar and regularly annoying voice.

"Cloud and Tifa sitting in a tree…"

They broke apart. Their friends were staring at them, all seeming smug.

"K-I," Yuffie made two kissing noises, "I-N-G."

"Yuffie," Tifa growled.

"Aww!" she exclaimed. "You know you liiiiike him. You want to hooooold him. You want to kiiiiiss him. You want to fuuuu--"

"YUFFIE!" Tifa yelled. "Not in front of the kids!"

Cid snickered.

"Took y'all a while. About damned time."

Cloud's face was burning as they got up. Marlene was giggling insanely. Denzel seemed slightly amused.

"Let's go," Vincent said. "Our work here is done."

They all walked outside. Tifa slipped her hand in Cloud's. He seemed surprised, but pleasantly surprised. That was all right. Tifa didn't mind being the aggressive one in their relationship.

As Cloud sat down on Fenrir, he looked at Tifa and gave her the sweetest smile she had ever seen.

"I guess we won't be needing that extra bedroom, huh? Sorry for being such an asshole about it."

Tifa gasped.

"Is that why you were upset?!"

Cloud shrugged.

"Yeah. Sorry. I thought I was trying so hard and you were so set on that bedroom."

"You, mister," Tifa said as she poked his nose, "need to work on getting your thoughts put into words for me to hear."

"Yeah, you're right," he laughed.

Barret honked his horn.

"What the hell are you two doing?! Save it for later!"

They laughed and Tifa sat behind Cloud.

"Uhm, Cloud?" Tifa bit her lip, trying to hide a smile.

"Yeah, Teef?"

"May I?"

Cloud paused, then stood up and sat behind Tifa, gripping her arms just like he had with Denzel, and he whispered instructions in her ear. Tifa screamed when she first accelerated.

They caught up to Barret and this time, Tifa noted with pleasure, it was Marlene who screamed horribly as she saw Tifa driving the motorcycle. Tifa winked at them and flew past them, Cloud laughing softly in her ear.

This… this was perfect.

_**Review? Please? X3**_


	31. Epilogue

Chapter 15

EPILOGUE

2 weeks later

Tifa's Seventh Heaven

"Marlene! How many times do I have to tell you to watch the cookies?! I can smell they're burning!" As Tifa turned around, she bumped against their bed. She froze. Cloud was still snoring softly, laying sprawled on their bed in his flannel bottoms.

She had forgotten he was sleeping. She was about to tip-toe out of their room when she accidentally stepped in Cloud's pants. Her shoes got stuck and she had to shuffle rather quickly for a few steps until she could stop herself without tripping.

Cursing Cloud's habit to leave his clothes wherever he took them off, she freed herself from his pants and picked up his clothes. As she was about to go to dump the clothes in the laundry room, she felt something in his pocket. A piece of paper?

She reached into his pocket and grabbed the piece of paper. She swung his clothes over her arm and curiously looked at the paper. Her smile faded. Then it returned with tears. She looked at Cloud, still sleeping sweetly, then back at the paper.

It was the picture she had been looking for what seemed so long ago. Denzel and Marlene were standing in front of them, grinning from ear to ear and sneaking a look at Cloud and Tifa. Tifa was happily kissing Cloud on the cheek. Cloud looked a bit strange, between happy and embarrassed.

Cloud had carried it with him all this time.

THE FALLOUT – THE END

:)

_**I would like to thank you very much for reading my first FanFic to the very end. Please give me all your thoughts and comments so I can become a better writer.**_

_**Also, please look at my new fiction "Then There Was Light." I'm trying first person –gasp!- and I like the way I'm shaping my characters, which are completely my own.**_

_**Special thanks to…**_

_**-Kannachi (Love you like a sister, Kaylee!)**_

_**-Marisa (Thank you so much for all your reviews and feedback X3)**_

_**-my friends Monica and Kelsey**_

_**-and you, who read my fanfic and gave me all that wonderful stuff to smile about X3**_

_**Thank you all so much!**_

_**Until next time!**_

_**Sanne (aka The Damned Teenager Who Makes A Grown Woman Cry)**_


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